So, the other day I was thinking about how much I love movies, and how they can really teach you stuff, you know? I got this idea to dive into developmental psychology through movies. It just seemed like a fun and different way to learn.
First, I started by just writing down movies I could remember that had kids or teenagers in them, or dealt with family stuff. I made this big messy list, all over the place. Then I started thinking, “Okay, there’s gotta be a better way to do this.” So I hit up Google, just typing in stuff like “movies about growing up” or “movies about family relationships.” I found some interesting articles and blogs, mostly about how watching movies can help parents and kids connect, and how movies can be used in education. That was cool, but not exactly what I was looking for.
I spent a good chunk of time just watching trailers and reading summaries, trying to figure out which movies really fit the bill. It was kinda tough, honestly. You’d think there’d be a ton of movies about this stuff, and there are, but finding the good ones, the ones that really make you think, that was the challenge.
I finally put together a decent list. I decided to focus on a few key areas, like how kids communicate, how they figure out who they are, and how they deal with rules and authority. Classic coming-of-age stuff, right?
My Watchlist
- For communication: I picked a couple of movies that show how families talk to each other, or sometimes how they don’t. It’s interesting to see how different families communicate.
- For identity and fitting in: This was a big one. I found a bunch of movies about kids trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. Teen movies are perfect for this.
- For dealing with authority: I wanted some movies that showed kids pushing boundaries and dealing with parents, teachers, or other adults. This one was kinda tricky, but I found a few that worked.
I started watching the movies, taking notes along the way. Not like, super detailed academic notes, but more like jotting down my thoughts and feelings, and what the movies made me think about. I jotted them down in my notebook.
And you know what? It’s been pretty awesome. These movies are way more than just entertainment. They’re like little windows into people’s lives, and they really make you think about how people grow and change. Watching these movies with this specific lens has been super eye-opening. It’s like, I’m learning about psychology, but I’m also just enjoying some really good movies. I can’t say I have some big, profound conclusion. I’m still watching and learning. But it’s definitely been a worthwhile experiment. I might even do another one of these deep dives into a different topic. We’ll see!
